I had the C1's through Amazon and was going to return them if they didn't hold up. I was able to compare them with the Vipers, Diamondback HD's, Razor HD's, Razor UHD's, and SLC 10x42's. I also have a good friend and hunting partner with the Athlon Argos 10x42's. Here are my conclusions after comparing.
As a whole, Vortex's optical quality WITH EXCEPTION OF THE RAZOR UHD'S should put them at a price point much lower than they are. I've never looked through a pair of Vortex anything and been that blown away. They just feel and look (optically) kindof cheap. I have a theory as to why that has to do with the warranty service they are known for and that they push so hard, but this is not the place to share that theory.
Maven's EASILY SMASH the Viper and everything below them. They have better color contrast and resolution than the Razor HD's, and cost about 30% what the Razor's do. Better edge to edge clarity, and no rolling ball/fisheye effect in the lens. I've never had that feeling worse than through the vipers and diamondbacks. The UHD's are a bit better optically, but feel like they're cheaply made. The glass is great and is a step up from the Maven's, but the build quality, in my opinion, is lacking for the price you pay.
As far as the SLC's go, they came in first. But I was impressed with how close the Maven's came for the money. No, they're not Swaro's, but my heck, they're hard to beat for the value!
The Athlon's have great color contrast, but we haven't been impressed with my buddy's in low light, early morning and late evening.
Bottom line, avoid the Vortex. Not worth what you pay for them, ESPECIALLY with Maven in the market. If you've got the money, buy the best and buy some Swaro's. For me, I would buy the Maven's 20 times over! They compete with stuff that costs 2-3 times as much without question, and many times they beat them out. Absolutely blown away with mine!
